Crystal Stairs

One of my all time favorite poems is "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes. We all studied it in middle and high school, but I had completely forgotten about it until one of my friends posted it on Facebook this morning. If you haven't read it before, here it is:

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor --
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now --
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

How many of us wish that the stairs we had to climb were always crystal? I know there have been times where I sat down on stair landings feeling sorry for myself. We have to remember that life isn't always going to be fair or perfect. In fact, it can be quite the opposite. I think we should all remember that when we return to live with our Father in Heaven, those with scarred and callused feet will have the strongest wills and testimonies. Until then, we need to keep going, Don't give up! We have to reach the top eventually, right? Right.